The Ties That Bind
by ThePaintedSkies
Summary: While attempting to seek aid from the neighboring Ylisse, Estelle sees a vision that's too much for her to handle, and in turn, loses her memory. Fortunately, she's found and recruited by the nation's Prince. Will Estelle be able to get the help she needed, or does a grim future await? -Hard Mode Novelization following ChromxFe!Mu-


AN: This story will be a novelization of Hard Mode/Classic gameplay with some tweaks to the story and changed up dialogue, also with as minimal grinding as I can get without entirely screwing myself over. After all units are married, if a unit falls or retreats, I will not restart and they will remain dead/incapable of battling, and I will mold the elements into the story. I'll be playing a fresh file as I start this and trying my best to keep to the rules I've set for myself (because I think I'll cry if certain characters fall), so here goes!

_**Disclaimer**_: _I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening, that means the general plot and characters are not mine._

**Premonition**: _Invisible Threads_

A young woman drew a long breath as she raised her cowl, hiding her face from any brigands that might recognize her. With their increased attacks across their borders, it was only a matter of time before their religious sect put their plans in action. She needed support to prevent that. Support she could only find in the nation she now found herself traveling in, looking around curiously.

"Compared to home, this place is beautiful..." She admired the stretch of grassy plain she strode along. "Very different from..."

She felt a dull throbbing in her head all too suddenly and she slowly reached arms up to place her fingertips on her temple, trying ease the aches. Despite her attempts, they relented, voices now conversing in her head.

_"Up there!"_

Now she could see visions. She could see herself, shooting a strong bolt of thunder magic to an all too familiar figure dressed in sorcerer robes.

_"You fool!"_ The figure dodged the explosion from the thunder magic by vanishing, and the girl now turned her attention to someone she couldn't recognize. An navy haired man readied himself to battle against the sorcerer, adjusting his peculiar sword. Unfortunately for the mystery man, he was caught of guard and hit by a strong spell, sending him crashing against a stone pillar, breaking it. He weakly raised himself to his knees with help from his blade, his face clearly showing signs of pain.

The sorcerer appeared again, charging a powerful dark magic spell and tossing it towards the swordsman, yelling out _"Die!"_ with a venomous tone.

The young woman felt a strong sense of fear and urgency as she saw herself jump in front of the dark magic meant for the swordsman, casting her own thunder magic quick enough to aim at the oncoming attack and neutralize it, causing a large explosion. When the dust finally settled, she locked eyes with the sorcerer, the sorcerer studying her while she relished the frustration she knew he felt.

The swordsman rushed to woman's side, back in tip top form after using a vulnerary. He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, his blue eyes determined._ "This is it! Our final battle! You're one of us now, Estelle, and no "destiny" can change that. Now let's kill this dastard and be done with it!"_ His hand slid down to her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

The young woman took her own hand and joined it with the navy haired swordsman's, assuring that she was fine. The two lingered for a moment before the swordsman drew his blade and the girl, her tome.

The two carefully approached the sorcerer as he laughed manically, as if downplaying their efforts. _"Fools, struggle all you want! You can't rewrite what has already been written!"_

The girl grit her teeth, her grip on her tome tightening. The swordsman smiled faintly. _"We'll show him. He's almost in reach now, let's move in and strike!"_ He led the way, sword poised high as he aimed a strike. The sorcerer readied a counter attack as he moved back, the sword leaving a slice across the man's exposed chest. The blast was weak enough for the swordsman to cover as the woman took advantage of the sorcerer's lack of concentration. She let out a strong blast of thunder magic, hitting her target. The sorcerer fell to his knees after the electricity finished discharging, the swordsman looking at her with an excited grin. The woman offered a smile of her own, the smile quickly souring as she saw the sorcerer still manage to move, casting a spell.

_"This isn't over... Damn you both!"_

There was a shove, a flash and an excruciating amount of pain. The woman took a strong blast of dark magic head on to protect the navy haired man, and now she laid on the cold stone floor, body reflexively twitching. The man ran up to her, worried, and lifted her limp body to a sitting position, supporting her with a leg.

_"Hey, are you alright?"_ The man took her slow blinks as a sign that she was okay. He smiled, nodding over to the sorcerer who lay on the ground, clearly having used too much power than he could handle. _"That's the end of him. Thanks to you, we carried the day! We can finally rest easy now..."_ The girl's eyes widened and she couldn't hear the man before her speaking clearly any more. Her mind became clouded, a voice whispering to her. Her field of vision became outlined in red as her body involuntarily twitched. _"At long last... Hey... are you okay?"_ The swordsman shook her gently, noticing something wrong. His expression became desperate as the girl didn't respond._ "Hey, hang on-"_

The man halted speaking as his face contorted in pain. He quickly stood to his feet and stumbled back, the girl's eyes widening in horror when she noticed thunder magic in the form of a spear sticking clean through the swordsman, blood slowly seeping into his clothing. She looked at her own hand in disgust before looking back at the man, despair filling every fiber of her being._ "N-no...I... I..."_

"This is not your... your fault... Promise me... you'll escape from this place..."

_"No! No, no... this is all wrong! You promised!"_ The woman scrambled to her feet and ran to the man's side, tears welling in her eyes. _"Don't do this..."_

He raised a hand to her cheek, wiping away a tear. _"Please... go..."_

He then fell to the floor with a dull thud, the woman looking on in horror._ "No! You promised! Don't go, Chrom! Draw Falchion! __**I'm**__ the one that's supposed to die!"_

She fell to her knees. Her sobbing subsided. Her emotions slipped away.

Her will to go on was gone.

Her frame shook as she started laughing, voice crazed and not of her own.

And in that moment in her current reality, Estelle blacked out, the grim vision being too much for her to handle at that point.

She didn't know why, but the navy haired man, Chrom, seemed very important. She held onto the vision of him tightly.

So tight, it seemed the only memory she had left was of his name and appearance.

_End Premonition_.

AN 2: Sorry for the strange writing or any repetition. I am no good at being vague at all. That all ends with this chapter.


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